Learn to create your own comics with Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, a richly illustrated collection of 15 in-depth lessons that cover everything from crafting your story to lettering and laying out panels.
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Since the release of the Kindle, Amazon's popular digital reading device, a few publishers have started to experiment with converting their comics to Kindle editions. But while the recently released and upgraded Kindle 2 offers an improved design and a better screen experience—unlike the first Kindle, the Kindle 2 offers a 16 tone grayscale screen—reading comics on the device is not an altogether enjoyable experience.
Comics on the Kindle 2 can look dim and small; word balloons are often difficult to read even when enlarged—indeed the Kindle's zoom and enlarge feature is often inadequate. Nevertheless, while the publishers PWCW spoke with had varying degrees of success converting their comics to the Kindle, they all stressed the importance of carefully examining and understanding the Kindle digital format, emphasizing that the device and its technology will likely improve in the future. "At this point, it's just to learn what it takes to get these books into the format under the assumption that the technology will get better," said Neil DeYoung from Hachette's Digital Media Group. "When that does happen and the market is ready, we'll already have the chops needed."
Many teachers and librarians still don’t recognize the power of graphic novels in learning—and three librarians from the Buffalo-Erie County Public Library in New York are hoping to change that.
Meg Cheman, Britt White, and Peggy Shotnicki are the incredible minds behind Get Graphic: The World in Words and Pictures, a Web site designed to introduce teens, parents, librarians, and teachers to the wonderful world of graphic literature. more » » »
If Stone Arch didn't create such interesting titles, that group of boys might have put down the 4 books I had (2 Batman and 2 Superman titles) and gone to their next class. Instead those boys were so ...
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Despite predictions of a down year in other sectors of the economy, publishers and editors of children's comics and graphic novels at New York Comic-on were optimistic that their category is poised for growth. Properties aimed at readers 13 years old and under were prominent both on the floor and in the panels and the booths for publishers with strong children's lines, such as First Second, Top Shelf, Oni Press, and Archie Comics were bustling.
Stinky - graphic novel - by Eleanor Davis
One of the honorees for the 2009 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, recognizing the most distinguished books for beginning readers.
Deep in the swamp dwells Stinky, a purple, spotted monster with horns and a hedgehog do. Stinky lives up to his name, and the swamp is the perfect place for him: I love the mushy, mucky mud. / I love the slimy slugs. / And I love the stinky smell! / (SNIFF) AHHHH... But on the other side of the swamp is the town, which is full of children, who like to take baths! When a little boy builds a treehouse in Stinky's swamp, he tries everything he can think of to drive the disgustingly clean creature out until he discovers that this particular child is definitely a kindred spirit.
The winning story carries itself on spunk and a controlled vocabulary that combines judiciously chosen sight words (onion, gross) with easily sounded-out words (slimy slugs!) that will have emerging readers in stitches Davis’ colorful art makes Stinky and his swamp delightfully attractive to young readers.
It’s impressive that Davis can draw characters like Wartbelly the toad in a way that makes her clearly smelly and slimy, but at the same time actually cute.
more, including lesson plans and more in the Toon Books series
The only comic book character that can still be found in every supermarket in the country, where he merits prominent point-of-purchase placement alongside US Weekly and Fabulous Fruitini Orbit gum? A skinny teenaged redhead in a sweater vest.
The question: what is it about Archie Andrews that has allowed him to bravely weather a sales environment harsh enough to send the X-Men fleeing for cover?
The topic at hand recently seems to be women superhero movies—as in, whether they should exist. Thera Pitts started things off with her Silicon Rope article "Why the Comic-Book Movie Industry Needs a Female Superhero," in which she takes film makers to task for their uninspiring takes on female characters in superhero movies. Citing oft-repeated criticisms of casting choices, she asks, "Did you ever stop to think that it isn’t just the actresses who sully your favorite movies but the comic book movie industry’s lazy attitude towards women characters in general?
Spider-Man has already saved incoming president Barack Obama; he’s now poised to save the entire publishing industry. In the midst of the gigantic economic clusterfuck global financial meltdown at the end of 2008, one segment of the publishing industry not only remained solvent, but actually grew: comic books.
http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/12/capes-and-tights-save-publishing/
Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid is still tops; DC’s Azzarello/Bermejo Joker is #2 and Fables takes the #7 spot.
